Well packer with resettable anchor and packer means



Sept. 16, 1969 c. R. YOUNG 3,467,134

WELL PACKER WITH RESETABLE ANCHOR AND PACKER MEANS Filed May 22, 1967 6Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.-2B

INVENTOR CARTER FLYOUNG F! c 2 A W m C. R. YOUNG Sept. 16, 1969 WELLPACKER WITH RBSETABLE ANCHOR AND PACKER MEANS Filed May 22. 1967 5Sheets-Sheet 5 FIGrG INVENTOR CARTER RYQUNG ATTORNEYS United StatesPatent 3,467,184 WELL PACKER WITH RESETTABLE ANCHOR AND PACKER MEANSCarter R. Young, Dallas, Tex., assigmor to Otis Engineering Corporation,Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 22, 1967, Ser. No.640,117 Int. Cl. E21b 23/06, 33/12 U.S. Cl. 166-129 14 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE A packer connectable in a well flow tubing string andoperable by manipulation of said flow string for closing the annulusbetween the flow string and the wall of the casing in the well in whichthe string of tubing is positioned, said packer having resettable anchorand packing means provided thereon, and latch means for expanding andreleasably holding the packing means in expanded packing positionagainst movement to non-sealing position by pressure in eitherdirection, said packer having means for releasing said latch means topermit said packing to move to non-sealing position and said anchormeans to released position, and the packer to be reset at a difierentlocation, if desired.

This invention relates to well tools and more particularly to a wellpacker for sealing between a flow conductor and the casing of a well.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved well packerfor closing the annulus between an inner flow conductor, such as astring of tubing, and an outer flow conductor, such as a well casing.

Another object is to provide a well packer which permits the inner flowconductor to be held in tension or compression relative to the packerand which is held in set position regardless of the direction of theforce exerted thereon by the pressure differential acting across the setpacker.

Still another object is to provide a well packer having a tubularmandrel which is connectable in the inner flow conductor to constitute asection thereof and an outer tubular assembly mounted thereon and whichincludes expandable packing elements and means for anchoring the outerassembly against movement relative to the well casing and to the mandreland to hold the packing elements in their expanded sealing position.

A further object is to provide a well packer having a bypass between themandrel and the packer elements to facilitate the movement of the packerthrough the outer flow conductor and having means for closing the bypasswhen the packer is set.

A still further object is to provide a packer wherein the anchoringmeans includes expansible slips and a pair of opposed expander means formoving the slips outwardly to expanded gripping position with a wellcasing and wherein one lower expander means prevents downward movementof the slips and the other upper expander means prevents upward movementof the slips relative to the casing.

Still another object is to provide a packer having latch means forreleasably holding the upper expander means against upward movementrelative to the slips and prevent the packing elements from moving totheir retracted position if an upwardly acting pressure differential isexerted thereacross.

Still another object is to provide a well packer wherein the anchoringmeans and the packing element are easily and quickly movable from theirinoperative retracted position to their expanded operative position toset the packer in a well casing and from their operative to theirinoperative position to permit removal of the packer from the casingupon limited rotational and longitudinal movement of the string oftubing to which the packer is connected.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the reading of the following description of a deviceconstructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to theaccompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

FIGURES 1A and 1B are vertical partly sectional views of the well packerembodying the invention, FIGURE 1B being a continuation of FIGURE 1A,showing the elements of the packer in the relative position asumedthereby during downward movement of the packer through a well casing;

FIGURES 2A and 2B are similar to FIGURES 1A and 1B, and show the packerin set position in a well casing;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on lines 33 of FIGURE 1B;

FIGURES 4 and 5 are sectional views taken on lines 44 and 55,respectively, of FIGURE 2A;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a latch element of the packer;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the lower portion of thepacker; and,

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken on lines 88 of FIGURE 7.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, the packer 20 embodying theinvention includes a mandrel 21 having a top section 22 in whose upperinternally threaded end portion 24 is securable the lower threaded endportion of the usual section 25 of a string of tubing T, a middlesection 26 whose upper end portion is threaded, as at 27, in the topmandrel section, and a bottom section 28 on whose upper end is threaded,as at 29, on the reduced lower end portion 30 of the middle mandrelsection.

An outer tubular assembly 32 of the packer mounted on the mandrelintermediate its ends, includes a lower expander assembly 33, a middleor slip assembly 34 and upper or packing assembly 35.

The lower expander assembly includes a tubular latch body 36, having alower expander 37 connected thereto, mounted for limited longitudinalmovement relative to the slip assembly 34. The body 36 has a pair ofdiametrically opposed internal lugs 40 which are receivable in a pair ofJ-slots 41 of the bottom mandrel section which releasably limit downwardmovement of the mandrel relative to the latch body during theinstallation of the packer in a well casing.

The J-slots have upwardly opening long leg portions 42, short legportions 43 and intermediate connecting portions 44. The lower ends ofthe leg portions 42 and 43, and the intermediate portions 44 of theJ-slots are defined by cam shoulders or surfaces 46 which slopedownwardly to the surfaces or shoulders 47 which define the lower endsof the short leg portions 43. When the mandrel lugs are disposed in theupper end portions of the short leg portions, downward movement of themandrel relative to the latch body is limited by the downwardly facingsurfaces or shoulders 48 of the bottom mandrel section defining theupper ends of the short leg portions of the J-slots.

The latch body has a plurality of longitudinally extendingcircumferentially spaced external recesses 51. The side surfaces 52 ofthe latch body defining the longitudinal recesses are engageable withthe longitudinal edge surfaces of drag springs '54 to prevent theircircumferential displacement on the latch body. The drag springs havesubstantially planar bottom end portions 55 which are rigidly secured tothe latch body by screws 57 which extend through suitable apertures inthe bottom portions of the springs into threaded bores 58 of the latchbody, and arcuate middle portions 59 which inherently assume thepositions illustrated in FIGURE 1B wherein diametrically opposed springshave their middle portions spaced a distance substantially greater thanthe internal diameter of the well casing C. The upper ends of thesprings are slidable on the external surfaces 60 of the drag spring bodyas the springs are deformed or bent inwardly as the packer is insertedinto a well casing.

The expander 37 is connected to the upper end of the latch body 36 by anannular cap 62 whose lower reduced portion 63 is threaded in the upperend portion of the latch body, the reduced lower end portion 64 of thelower expander being in turn threaded in the cap.

The lower end portion 65 of the expander below the lower end of the capis receivable in the internal upwardly opening recesses 66 of aplurality of latch elements 68 to limit the upward and inward movementof their upper end portions relative to the mandrel. The latch elementsare biased toward inner contracted positions by an annular spring 70which extends about the elements and is received in the aligned externalrecesses 72 thereof. Movement of the latch segments relative to eachother and to the latch body is limited by screws 74 whose shanks arethreaded in bores 76 of the latch elements and whose enlarged heads aredisposed in the lateral apertures 77 of the latch body.

When the mandrel is in the upper position relative to the latch bodyillustrated in FIGURES 1A and 1B, the latch elements are held in theirouter or expanded positions by the engagement of the internal surfaces80 of the internal bottom flanges 81 of the latch elements with theexternal latch surface 82 of the bottom mandrel section. The latchelements are provided with internal serrations or teeth 84 and withbottom internal upwardly and inwardly sloping cam shoulder 85 for apurpose to be described below.

The slip assembly 34 of a tubular slip carrier 86 of the slip assemblyon whose ends are threaded bottom and top retainer rings 87 and 88,respectively. The bottom retainer ring 'has an internal annular flange90 whose top upwardly facing shoulder or surface 91 is engageable withthe downwardly facing annular shoulder 92 of the external flange 93 ofthe lower expander 37 to limit upward movement of the slip carrierrelative to the lower expander. The lower expander has an upwardly andinwardly extending cam or expander surface 95 which is engageable withthe lower internal cam surfaces 96 of a plurality of slips 98 which aremounted in the longitudinal slots or windows 99 of the clip carrier. Theslips are biased towards their inner retracted positions, wherein theirinward movement is limited by the engagement of their middle intemalarcuate surfaces 101 with the external surface 102 of the bottom tubularsection 103 of the tubular body 104 of the packing assembly 35, by anannular spring 105 which extends about the slip carrier and is receivedin the aligned external recesses 108 and 109 of the slip carrier and ofthe slips. Bars 110, which are secured to the slip carrier in anysuitable manner, as by welding, have end portions which extend into thewindows 99 and the outwardly opening end recesses 114 of the slips sothat the engagement of the surfaces of the slips defining the inner endsof their end recesses with the bars limits outward movement of the slipson the slip carrier.

The top retainer ring 88 threaded on the reduced upper end portion ofthe slip carrier has an internal annular flange 117 whose bottom surfaceis adapted to engage the upwardly facing shoulder 119 of the externalannular flange 120 of an upper expander 122 to limit upward movement ofthe upper expander relative to the slip carrier. The upper expander hasan upwardly and outwardly inclined or extending expander or cam surface123 which is engageable with the internal upwardly and outwardlyinclined cam surfaces 124 of the slips 98. The upper expander 122 willtend to expand the slips 98 upon downward movement of the upper expanderrelative to the slip carrier and the slips. Downward movement of theupper .4 expander relative to the bottom section 103 of the packingassembly body 104 is limited by the engagement of the internal flange125 of a cap 126 threaded on the top end portion of the upper expanderwith the top shoulder 128 of an external annular flange '129 of thebottom section 103. The top annular surface 130 of the cap limitsdownward movement of a plurality of annular resilient packing elements131 disposed about the section 103 whose upward movement thereon islimited by the engagement of the top end surface of the top packerelement with the downwardly facing annular end shoulder 133 of themiddle section 134 of the tubular body 105. The middle body section isthreaded on the upper end of the bottom section 103 and has an O-ring136 disposed in an internal annular recess thereof which seals betweenthese two body sections above the packing elements. The middle sectionbody has an internal annular flange 137 which limits downward movementof the middle section on the bottom section 103 and also provides anupwardly facing annular stop shoulder 138 for a purpose to be describedbelow.

The middle body section 134 has an internal upwardly opening annularrecess 139 in which a seal assembly 141 is disposed. The seal assemblyincludes a resilient seal element 142 and a pair of back-up rings 143disposed above and below the seal element. Downward movement of the sealassembly is limited by the upwardly facing annular shoulder 145 definingthe lower end of the recess 140 and its upward movement is limited bythe downwardly facing annular shoulder 147 provided by an internalannular flange 148 of the top section 149 of the packing assembly body104 whose lower portion 150 is threaded on the upper reduced end portion151 of the middle body section 134.

The seal assembly is adapted to sealingly engage the seal surface 154 ofthe top mandrel section 22 when the mandrel is in a lower positionrelative to the packing assembly body as will be explained below.

The top section 149 is provided with a pair of lugs 158 whose innerportions are receivable in the J-slots 159 of the top mandrel section22. The I-slotshave downwardly opening long leg portions 161 and shortleg portions 162. When the lugs 158 are in the short leg portions 162,upward movement of the mandrel relative to the packing assembly body 104is limited by the engagement of the shoulders or surfaces 164 of the topbody section defining the bottom ends of the short leg portions with thelegs 158. The middle section 26 of the mandrel is enlarged intermediateits ends to provide an upwardly facing annular shoulder which isengageable by the downwardly facing internal annular shoulder 171 of thesection 103 to limit downward movement of the packing assembly bodyrelative to the mandrel.

The mandrel and the packing assembly body 104 provide an annular bypass177 which is closed at its lower end by an O-ring 178 disposed in anexternal annular recess of the middle mandrel section 26 which sealinglyengages the body section 103 below its shoulder 171. The upper expanderand the body section 103 are provided with ports 181 and 182,respectively, which communicate with the bypass 177 above the O-ring 78so that when the mandrel is in the upper position relative to thepacking assembly body 104, as illustrated in FIGURES 1A and IE, itcommunicates with the casing above and below the packing elements. Whenthe mandrel is in a lower position relative to the body 104 wherein themandrel seal surface 154 engages the seal 142, the upper end of thebypass is closed.

The bottom portion 103 of the packing assembly body has a plurality ofexternal serrations or teeth 183 on its lower end portion which areengageable by the internal teeth 84 of the latch elements.

In use, the mandrel of the packer is connected to the lower end of thesection 25 of the string of tubing T and is lowered into the well casingwith the elements thereof in the positions relative to one anotherillustrated in FIG- URES 1A and 1B, wherein the lugs 40 of the latchbody are in the upper ends of the short leg portions 43 of the J-slots41 of the bottom mandrel section so that the downward movement of themandrel relative to the latch body 42 is limited by the engagement ofthe shoulders 48 with the lugs. The drag springs 54 are compressed ordeformed resiliently inwardly as the lower end of the packer is insertedinto the well casing C since the normal inherent position of the arcuateintermediate portions 59 of diametrically opposite drag springs isgreater than the internal diameter of the well casing. If desired anadditional tail pipe or section of tubing, or another well tool such asa valve and the like, may be connected to the lower threaded end portionof the mandrel.

The top end of the bypass 177 is open so that the downward movement ofthe packer through liquids present in the well casing is facilitatedsince such fluids may flow upwardly through the bypass past the externalrestriction aiforded by the packing elements. The slip carrier 86 willbe held by gravity in the lower position on the packing assembly bodybeing supported thereon by the engagement of the shoulder 110 of the topcap 88 with the upwardly facing shoulder 119 of the top expander 122.Downward movement of the upper expander on the packing assembly body inturn is limited by the engagement of its cap flange 125 with theshoulder 128 of the bottom body section 103 and downward movement of thepacking assembly body on the mandrel is limited by the engagement of theshoulders 170 and 171.

When the packer is moved downwardly to the desired location in the wellcasing at which it is to be set, the string of tubing is raised upwardlyand rotated in a clockwise direction, FIGURE 3, at the surface. Movementof the latch body is now resisted by the frictional engagement of thedrag springs 54 with the well casing. The mandrel is freed for upwardmovement relative to the latch body as the long leg portions 44 of theslots move into alignment with the lugs 40. The cam'shoulders 46 help toguide the lugs into alignment with the long leg portions.

The string of tubing is then lowered at the surface and since the latchbody is now frictionally held against downward movement relative to thecasing, the slip carrier assembly and the packing assembly move bygravity with the mandrel downwardly relative to the lower expander. Thecamming engagement of the expander surface 95 of the lower expander withthe lower cam shoulders 96 of the slips causes the slips to moveoutwardly until their external serrations or teeth 186 engage theinternal surfaces of the well casing and the outward movement of theslips is arrested. The slip carrier is then held by the slips againstfurther downward movement in the casing. Continued downward movement ofthe string of tubing then causes the expander surface 123 of the topexpander to engage the upper cam shoulders 124 of the slips and thistends to move the slips further outwardly due to the weight of theexpander itself and of the packing assembly which is now supportedagainst downward movement by the upper expander since the packingelement resiliently resists longitudinal compression thereof. During thedownward movement of the mandrel relative to the packing assembly, thelugs 158 move into the downwardly opening long leg portions of theJ-slots 159 of the top mandrelsection to permit such continued downwardmovement. Continued downward movement of the string of tubing thencauses the mandrel to continue to move downwardly relative to thepacking assembly and its seal surface 154 moves downwardly within theseal ring and engages the seal 141, and the'top end of the bypass 177 isthus closed. Downward movement of the mandrel is continued relative tothe packing assembly until the bottom shoulder 188 of the top mandrelsection engages the top shoulder 138 of the internal fiange 137 of thesection 134 of the packing assembly body 104. When the shoulder 188 ofthe mandrel engages the shoulder 138 of the packing assembly body 104, adownward force is exerted on the packing assembly body and, since thepacking elements 131 resist deformation, a downward force is exerted onthe upper expander 122 to cause it to further increase the force withwhich the slips are moved and held outwardly. Further downward movementof the upper expander is arrested when the further outward movement ofthe slips is arrested due to their engagement with their internalsurfaces of the well casing.

As the mandrel moves downwardly relative to the packing assembly and thenow stationary latch body 36, its latch surface 82 moves downwardly ofthe internal flanges 81 of the latch elements 68 and the latch segmentsare pivoted downwardly and inwardly toward retracted positions as theupwardly and inwardly inclined shoulder 190 of the bottom mandrelsection moves downwardly of the bottom internal cam shoulders of thelatch elements. Continued downward movement of the mandrel and of thepacking assembly body 104 relative to the packing elements, whosedownward movement is now prevented by the now stationary upper expander122, results in their longitudinal compression and radial expansion intosealing engagement with the casing. During the downward movement of thepacking assembly body relative to the latch body, the external teeth orserrations 183 of the bottom section 103 of the packing assembly bodymoves downwardly relative to the latch elements and into engagement withthe teeth 84 of the latch elements. The camming engagement of theupwardly and outwardly inclined bottom surfaces of the serrations 183with the downwardly and inwardly inclined top surfaces of the serrations84 of the latch elements pivots the latch elements upwardly andoutwardly to permit such downward movement of the packing assembly bodyrelative to the latch segments. When the packing elements are in theirfully expanded positions, the engagement of the abrupt downwardly facingshoulders of the serrations of the latch elements with the similarlyabrupt top surfaces of the serrations of the bottom section of thepacking assembly body prevents upward movement of the packing assemblybody relative to the latch elements and therefore relative to the latchbody. The packer is now in anchored and sealing engagement with the wellcasing as illustrated in FIG- URES 2A and 2B.

A pressure differential in the well casing which exerts an upward forceon the packing assembly body will not result in release of the packer,since the packing assembly body 104 is now held against upward movementrelative to the latch body by the engagement of the serrations 84 of theslips with packing assembly body so that the lower expander holds theslips in their expanded positions and the packing elements are held intheir expanded positions. A downwardly acting pressure differentialwhich may exert a downward force on the packing assembly body will ofcourse now merely exert a greater downward force on the packing elementssince downward movement of the upper expander is prevented due to itsengagement with the upper cam shoulders of the slips and in turn holdsthe slips in expanded position.

It will thus be apparent that neither an upwardly nor a downwardlyacting pressure differential will tend to cause the packing elements tomove out of sealing engagement with the casing or the anchoring assemblyout of the gripping and anchored engagement with the internal surfacesof the well casing.

If it is desired that the string of tubing be held in tension duringproduction of well fluids or other operations of the well, the string oftubing is rotated in a counter clockwise direction, as seen in FIGURE 2Ato cause the short leg portions 162 of the J-slots 159 of the topmandrel section to move into alignment with the lugs 158 and then anupward movement is imparted to the String of tubing at the surface untilits upward movement is arrested by the engagement of the lugs 158 withthe shoulders 164 of the mandrel, as is illustrated in FIGURE 2A,whereupon the upward movement of the bottom end of the string of 7tubing is arrested. If it is desired that the string of tubing be incompression, it is lowered at the surface until the shoulder 188 of thetop mandrel section engages the shoulder 158 of the packing assemblybody whereupon downward movement of the bottom end of the string oftubing is arrested and as much of the weight of the tubing string as isdesired may then be supported by the packer.

If it is desired that the tubing be suspended at the surface of the welland the mandrel be free to move longitudinally to the outer tubularassembly 32 of the packer, as, for example, to accommodate variations inthe length of the string of tubing due to changes of temperatures, thestring of tubing is rotated to position the long leg portions 161 of theJ-slots 159 in alignment with the lugs 158 and the string of tubing isthen moved longitudinally to an intermediate position relative to theouter assembly where the seal 142 engages the seal surface 154 at itsmiddle portion. The seal 142 will then maintain the bypass closed eventhough the seal surface 154 moves longitudinally within predeterminedlimit. The length of the seal surface in this case is chosen toaccommodate the expected variations in the length of the tubing socaused.

If it is thereafter desired to remove the packer from the well, thestring of tubing is rotated and moved longitudinally as required to freethe mandrel for upward movement relative to the packing assembly body,i.e., to move the J-slots 159 of the top mandrel to seal position sothat their long leg portions 161 are in alignment with the lugs 158,whereupon the string of tubing and the mandrel are moved upwardly.During this upward movement, the seal surface 154 of the top mandrelsection moves out of engagement with the seal 142 and the top end of thebypass 177 is opened by any existing pressure differential across thepacking elements and the packing assembly body is now eliminated byfluid flow through the bypass. The outer tubular assembly is then heldin anchored and sealing engagement with the well casing until thepressure thereacross is equalized.

As the upward movement of the mandrel continues, the cam shoulder 190 ofthe bottom mandrel section above its lock or latch surface 82 moves intocamming engagement with the bottom cam shoulders 85 of the latchelements and the latch elements lower ends are pivoted outwardly andtheir internal serrations 84 move out of engagement with the serrations183 of the bottom section 103 of the packing assembly body 104. Afterthe latch elements have been moved out of locking engagement with theserrations of the packing assembly body, the packing assembly body isfreed to move upward relative to the latch body. Continued upwardmovement of the string of tubing and the mandrel, then causes theshoulder 170 of the middle mandrel section to engage the internalshoulder 171 of the packing assembly body, whereupon the packingassembly body is moved upwardly with the mandrel relative to the slipassembly 34 and the upper expander 122. The packing elements are thenfreed for resilient movement to their retracted positions.

As the upward movement of the mandrel is continued, the shoulder 128 ofthe packing assembly body engages the flange 125 of the cap 126 securedto the upper expander. Further upward movement of the mandrel thenresults in upward movement of the upper expander therewith and relativeto the slip carrier and the slips until the expander moves out ofengagement with the slips and its shoulder 119 engages the shoulder 118of the cap 88 secured to the upper end of the slip carrier.

Continued upward movement of the mandrel now causes the slip carrier tomove upwardly which tends to move the slips 98 also upwardly andrelative to the lower expander 96 which is still held against upwardmovement by the frictional force of the drag springs. The slips may draga very short distance along the internal surface of the well casing butsince even a very short upward movement of the slips relative to theexpander surface 95 of the lower expander frees them for inwardmovement, they are moved inwardly by the force of the spring 105 and theslip carrier is then freed for upward movement in the well casing withthe mandrel. Continued upward movement of the mandrel then causes theJ-slots 41 of the bottom mandrel section to receive the lugs 40 of thelatch body, the lugs being guided thereinto by the cam shoulders 46 and46a as upward movement of the mandrel relative to the latch bodycontinues, until the bottom surfaces 47 defining the lowermost endportion of the lower J-slots engage the lug 40 whereupon upward movementof the mandrel also results in the upward movement of the latch body.

If it is found, that the teeth or serrations of the slips have hitdeeply into the well casing, or it is desired that absolutely nodragging of the slips relative to the casing take place during therelease of the packer, once the mandrel has moved upwardly to theposition wherein the lugs 40 of the latch body are in the J-slots 41 ofthe bottom mandrel section and before the shoulder 119 of the topexpander 122 has engaged the flange 117 of the top cap, the string oftubing is rotated in a counter-clockwise manner, as seen from above, toposition the short leg portions 43 of the J-slots 41 in alignment withthe lugs 40. A downward movement is then imparted to the string oftubing which now causes the latch body and the lower expander 93 to movedownwardly relative to the slips to release them for inward movement.Once the slips have been moved to their inner retracted positions, thestring of tubing is again raised upwardly, the shoulder 119 of the upperexpander then engages the flange 117 of the top cap before the lugs 40engage the shoulders 47 defining the bottom ends of the J-slots and theslip carrier is then moved upwardly with the mandrel.

Once the slips have been released for inward movement, either by suchstraight upward movement of the string of tubing and the mandrel or thealternative method just described, the packer may be moved, upwardlythrough the casing for removal therefrom or the packer may again be setin the casing in another location therein by rotating the string oftubing in the mandrel to cause the short leg portions 43 of the J-slots41 to be aligned with the lugs 40 of the latched body so that downwardmovement of the packer will again cause the elements of the packer toasume the positions illustrated in FIG- URES 1A and 1B. The packer canthen again be set at such another location in the same manner asdescribed above.

It will be seen that the described and illustrated packer embodying theinvention may be easily moved longitudinally through the well casingbecause it has a bypass which is held open during such movement, andthat the anchoring means is set upon simple downward movement of themandrel relative to the outer tubular assembly 32 of the packer and onlythen in the by-pass closed upon further non-rotational downward movementof the mandrel into engagement with the seal 141. It will also be seenthe seal surface is also moved out of engagement with the seal uponnon-rotational upward movement of the mandrel relative to the packingassembly body before the anchoring means and the seal packing elements131 are released for movement to their retracted inoperative positions.This longitudinal non-rotational movement of the seal surface relativeto the seal during setting and release of the packer precludes damage tothe seal such as could occur if the mandrel had to be rotated severalrevolutions relative to the seal during the setting or the release ofthe packer. It will be noted that only when it is desired to place thestring of tubing under tension is there necessity for impartingrotational movement of the mandrel relative to the seal while it isengaged with the mandrel seal surface but that such rotational movementis limited to degrees or less so that during normal opera tion of thepacker during its setting release or resetting the wear of the seal isminimized.

While for clarity of description the string of tubing has been describedas being rotated to cease engagement of the lugs 40 in the short legportions of the J-slots 41 and the lugs 158 in the short leg portions ofJ-slots 159, in actual operation only downward movement of the string oftubing need be imparted thereto at the surface to cause the lugs 40 tobe cammed into the short leg portions of the J-slots 41 by theirengagement with the surfaces 46 and similarly only a downward movementof the string of tubing will cause the mandrel to rotate to position theshort leg portions of the J-slots 159 in alignment with the lugs 158 dueto the engagement of the downwardly facing surfaces defining theseJ-slots with the lugs 158, since the long string of tubing will twist topermit this limited rotation of the mandrel. Subsequent upward movementof the string of tubing will cause the lugs 40 to engage the surfaces 47or the lugs 158 to engage the surfaces 164 since such movement isnormally of suflicient speed to cause the lugs to be positioned in thelower end portions of the short leg portions of the J-slots before thestring of tubing can untwist in the opposite direction.

It will further be seen that, if desired, the bypass may be opened whilethe outer tubular assembly 32 is in anchored and sealing engagement withthe well casing which may be desired in certain instances where it isdesired to circulate fluids between the annulus and the string oftubing, as by pumping fluids at the surface into the tubing whilepermitting flow from the annulus, by raising the string of tubing toposition the mandrel at an intermediate position wherein the mandrelseal surface 154 is above the seal 142 and the cam shoulder 190 is stillbelow the shoulders 85 of the latch elements so that the packingassembly body is still locked against longitudinal movement in thecasing and relative to the latch body and the slip carrier.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory only, andchanges in the details of the construction illustrated may be made bythose skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims,without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A packer including: a tubular mandrel; a packing assembly including atubular body slidably disposed on said mandrel for limited longitudinalmovement relative thereto; expandable packing means on said body, saidbody and said mandrel providing a bypass inwardly of and past saidpacking means and externally of said mandrel when said mandrel is in afirst longitudinal position relative to said body, said mandrel beingmovable longitudinally relative to said body from said first position toa second longitudinal position relative to said body, said mandrel andsaid body having co-engagable seal means for closing said bypass whensaid mandrel is in said second longitudinal position relative to saidbody, said mandrel and said body having stop means limiting longitudinalmovement of said mandrel relative to said body; anchor means on saidbody operable upon longitudinal movement of said body relative to saidanchor means for causing said anchor means to move to expanded position,said anchor means and said mandrel having first co-engageable means forselectively preventing longitudinal movement of said mandrel relative tosaid anchor means and disengageable to permit said mandrel to movelongitudinally relative to said anchor means and said body to saidsecond position to move said body relative to said anchor means, saidanchor means and said body having means for expanding said packing meansupon further longitudinal movement of said body relative to said anchormeans; l-atch means on said body and said anchor means engageable forlocking said body against longitudinal movement relative to said anchormeans when said packing means is in expanded position.

2. The packer of claim 1, wherein said mandrel has means co-engageablewith said latch means for moving said latch means to disengagedinoperative position wherein said latch means permits longitudinalmovement of said body relative to said anchor means upon predeterminedlongitudinal movement of said mandrel relative to said anchor means.

3.The packer of claim 2, wherein said anchor means includes a slipcarrier, outwardly movable slip means carried by said slip carrier, andexpander means for moving said slip means to expanded position.

4. The packer of claim 3, wherein said latch means includes a latch bodymounted on said body and having enternal drag means and wherein saidexpander means includes a first expander carried by said latch body andengageable with said slip means for moving said slip means itno expandedposition upon longitudinal movement of said slip carrier and slip meansrelative to said latch body and a second expander mounted on said bodybetween said slip means and said packing means, said second expander andsaid body having means limiting longitudinal movement of said secondexpander relative to said body, said second expander being movable intoengagement with said slip means to move said slip means outwardly towardexpanded positions upon longitudinal movement of said second expandertoward said slip means, said second expander and said body having spacedshoulder means engageable with opposite ends of said packing means forcompressing said packing means longitudinally and expanding said packingmeans radially outwardly upon longitudinal movement of said bodyrelative to said second expander.

5. The packer of claim 4, wherein said first coengageable means limitinglongitudinal movement of said mandrel relative to said anchor meansincludes J-slot means in one of said mandrel and said latch body and lugmeans receivable in said J-slot means carried by the other of saidmandrel and said latch body.

6. The packer of claim 5, wherein said mandrel and said body have secondselectively co-engagea'ble means for limiting longitudinal movement ofsaid mandrel relative to said body from said second position when saidanchor means is in expanded position whereby said mandrel may be held insaid second position while said packing means is held in expandedposition.

7. The packer of claim 6, wherein said latch means includes latchelements movably mounted on said latch body and engageable means on saidtubular body engageable by said latch elements.

8. The packer of claim 7, wherein said latch means includes meansbiasing said latch elements toward engagement with said engageablemeans.

9. The packer of claim 8, wherein said mandrel is provided with meansfor moving said latch elements out of engagement with said engageablemeans to release said tubular body for movement relative to said anchormeans upon predetermined longitudinal movement of said mandrel relativeto said latch body when said packing means is in expanded position.

10. A packer including: a mandrel; a tubular assembly slidably disposedon said mandrel intermediate the ends thereof, said tubular assemblycomprising a packing assembly body, packing means onsaid body expandableoutwardly from said packing assembly body for engaging internal surfacesof a flow conductor in which said packer is insertable, an anchorassembly below said packing means mounted for limited longitudinalmovement relative to said packing assembly body, said anchor assemblyhaving outwardly expandable anchor means, said anchor assembly and saidpacking assembly body having means engageable with said packing meansfor expanding said packing means upon downward movement of said packingassembly body relative to said anchor assembly, said anchor means beingexpansible into engagement with internal surfaces of a flow conductorfor preventing movement of the anchor assembly in the flow conductor,and a latch body extending below and mounted for limited longitudinalmovement relative to said anchor assembly, said latch body havingexpander means engageable with said anchor means for moving said anchormeans to expanded position upon downward movement of said anchorassembly relative to said latch body, said latch body having outwardlyextending drag means engageable with internal surfaces of said flowconductor in which the packer is insertable for yieldably resistingmovement of said latch body in said fiow conductor, said mandrel beingmovable longitudinally with respect to said tubular assembly between afirst upper position and a second lower position; first co-engageablemeans on said mandrel and said latch body for releasably holding saidmandrel in its first upper position relative to said tubular assemblyand said latch body in a lower position relative to said mandrel andsaid anchor means, said packing assembly body and said mandrel providinga fluid bypass therebetween, when said mandrel is in said upper positionrelative to said packing assembly body, said mandrel and said packingassembly body having co-engageable seal means for closing said by-passwhen said mandrel is in said second lower position relative to saidpacking assembly body; and latch means on said latch body and saidpacking assembly body engageable for releasably holding said packingassembly body in a lower position relative to said latch body when saidpacking assembly body is moved downwardly relative to said latch bodyfor holding said packing means in expanded position.

11. The packer of claim 10 wherein said mandrel and said packingassembly body have second co-engageable means for releasably holdingsaid mandrel in its second lower position relative to said packingassembly body wherein said bypass is closed by said seal means.

12. The packer of claim 11, wherein said anchor assembly includes acarrier body and said anchor means is mounted for lateral movement onsaid carrier body, upper expander means movable longitudinally relativeto said packing assembly engageable with said anchor means for movingsaid anchor means toward expanded position upon downward movement ofsaid upper expander means relative to said carrier body, said upperexpander means and said packing assembly body having co-engageable stopmeans limiting downward movement of said upper expander means relativeto said packing assembly body, said upper expander limiting downwardmovement of said packing means on said packing assembly body.

13. The packer of claim 12, wherein said mandrel has means engageablewith said latch means to disengage said latch means to permit saidpacking assembly body to move upwardly to permit said packing means toretract and said anchor means to move to released position.

14. The packer of claim 13, wherein said mandrel is movable upwardly toan intermediate position wherein said seal means opens said bypassbefore said latch means is disengaged to release said packing assemblybody for upward movement relative to said latch body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,279,542 10/1966 Brown 166-1393,357,489 12/1967 Brown 166-139 JAMES A. LEPPINK, Primary Examiner U.S.Cl. X.R. 166138, 182

